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Show RUSSIA BEST EXAMPLE OF NATIONAL RUIN Russia furnishes the most outstanding out-standing example of an history in national ruin, says George B. Lock-wood Lock-wood in the July National Republic. Other nations have passed through upheavals somewhat similar, bui. have withstood the shock. Russia is wrecked. Most of her people of intelligence and education, whose better directed energies might have led Russia to security and happiness, are dead or in exile, a nation may grow new crops and develop new resources, re-sources, but the stamping out of a nati- n's brains is an irreparable injury. in-jury. In this period when patriotism is so much decried, the spirit of nationalism na-tionalism so often attacked, the traditions tra-ditions of our republic so often flouted, it is well to remember the cause of the Russian cataclysm. It came about througn rack of patriotism; patriot-ism; through absence of a true national na-tional spirit. It was a lack of genuine genu-ine patriotism which caused the rulers rul-ers of that nation of the pre-revolu-i tionary period to lose step with the , rest of the world in lifting up the : level of life for the masses. Russia has resources almost comparable to j these of the United States, but no national spirit spurred the governing classes of Russia to the development Industrialism was feared as a menace men-ace to an autocracy which refused to be liberalized, and had its natural natur-al reaction in unreasoning, revolutionary revolu-tionary radicalism. ! There was no real love of Russia ns a land and ;;s a people among the ones in whose hands the destiny of this great empire s.med to rest. Russians of the ruling cla-s had no pride in their country, no love even 1 for their language. Trie s-ntimeut i grew up even among those who form rd the Russian court that anything foreign was preferanre to that which w-os Russian. Children of the upper classes must speak French. write English, know German. Affectation of these languages eliminated interest inter-est in that which was Russian. Paris became the real capital of the pleaa-re-loving Russian aristorrr.ry. There was no national feeling: no national language expressed the thoucht of the people. And so what was once rail-"! th creat bear has become no mere than a howling hyena. Her ran-"rs tndr. profess no special Live for Ra-ia: fl-eir; are .ireair? of rommuni-t mi t.rnaTlonali-n: of wrrld-wMe r'nmin ion. Wi'hin th r.-t .b-i-aln 1 f R-i-:,. I.nlidne a. re two ro: r.- n's rich in resource-s saf-i-nt to dvel en a treat, powerful and :r.dep.-.r, i- !ent nation are the materials out 01. which a great empire, a great repub-, lie. might be built. But as in the days, of the old czars, so in the days ofj the new. there is no love of country j that spirit which has made ever; greal nation great, and which only can build a country worthy of the j love and loyalty of its people-In people-In this country today we have piu-i pagandists who se-jk to break down: our national spirit, who sneer at love of country, who decry patriotism, and who would make Americans ashamed of loyalty to their republic and its flag. They would lead us ov-j er the pathway which Russia has; trod to ruin. When .. merieans, whoj have so much reason to love their! country, cherish its Ideals and up-J hold its principles, succumb to the percersive propaganda of a spurious internationalism, when they develop a national inferiority complex like that o four noisy apostles of Euro-peanism, Euro-peanism, they will have started downward on the road which leads to destruction. |